Do you not stream?

rarely

I stream but still dl in the event those sites go down

Listening to Wildflowers & All the Rest now. Wildflowers is such a masterpiece. Most of the way through the songs that comprise the second half. Some of these, as fairly noted, went into the Shes the One soundtrack. Climb That Hill, Hope You Never, California, and Hing Up and Overdue all come from that - and fit the aesthetic of Wildflowers when included here. Somewhere Under Heaven is a really cool sounding song but it sticks out here because it’s nothing like the rest of the album, either broken down by side or in the whole. Leave Virginia Alone is the big winner here. What a great song! Confusion Wheel is also good but I get why it was left off - it neither adds nor detracts from the finished product. It’s kinda just there. Climb That Hill Blues was nice sort of b-side inclusion.

Next up are the home recordings. I think it was ultimately a wise decision not to make this a double album at the outset, and from what’s here, maybe I would have found a place for Leave Virginia Alone and Hung Up and Overdue which is a nice way to close the album. Otherwise the rest is good but would have dragged the album down a little bit.

I had no idea "Leave Virginia Alone" was written by Tom Petty. Cool!

In the midst of the home recordings. What I love about this is there’s no need to sort compare the recordings. It exists totally separately. And some of these are real gems. Confusion Wheel sounds great here. Don’t Fade On Me has a different feel. Leave Virginia Alone is again really excellent. California has a different feel, more organic and fitting here. It’s a worthy addition and not filler at all.

On to the live stuff. Man, I miss Tom Petty.

I'm loving this set.

Tom Petty Radio on Siruius/XM is doing a great job presenting this today alongside interview cuts from Petty, band-mates, and Rubin.

The live stuff is great. Basically, this set is just about everything it could be. I stick by the album is basically perfect the way it was released, but all the additions show how much very good material he had at the ready. All the Rest has some songs that don’t quite match the magic of Wildflowers, but there’s also songs that do, and songs that are excellent but don’t really fit the vibe of the rest of the album.

The bonus stuff available to stream (home recordings and Wildflowers live) are really great. I almost dreaded the home recordings because I expected crackpot sketches of the final product, but they are fantastic and mostly complete ideas presented in a manner that gives it a feel of its own. The live tracks are phenomenal and on point with the Live Anthology. I listed this as my third favorite all time album on another thread and it stays cemented there after this.

Dont think there are any major revelations here. I love Harry Green. That is a very nice surprise. Leave Virginia Alone as well.

But Wildflower as it was/is - is perfect and all the other great stuff ended up on She's The One and I think that album is another perfect record.

And yea goddamn I miss Tom Petty.

These "home recordings" have been well taken care of in production. I'd like to hear this shit raw. I want to know what a tom petty home demo really sounds like and how it was recorded.

I take that back. "There's a break in the rain" is a fantastic look into a songwriters process. That chorus is the exact same as it ended up on Last Dj but a completely different song surrounding it.

Amazing.

I remember hearing the Rod Stewart version of "Leave Virginia Alone" ad nauseum in various retail stores throughout the late 90's and early 2000's. It's kind of blowing my mind that it was written by Petty.

Someone please talk me out of buying the 7 lp version before it's too late.

It's too expensive

Hasn't stopped me before.

You're not going to sit through 7 lps. You're also not going to get the urge to play anything but what you get with the two LP set